Thursday, March 1, 2012

Pitching a book and some rambling

Off to Sleuthfest.For those of you unfamiliar with this
conference, it is put on by the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America. But it isn’t relevant just for mystery
writers.The panels include everything
from pitching a book to editor and agent appointments to discussions on uploading
original content to online sales sites.

The speakers are amazing.Charlaine Harris, Dr. G the forensic
pathologist of cable TV fame and Jeff Ashton, who prosecuted the Casey Anthony
trial.Those are just the special
guests.If you want to learn about the
craft of or the business of publishing, this is a great regional
conference.It’s intimate and there are
lots of extras – like a trip to the gun range.

Many members of Florida Romance
Writers attend this annual event.It’s
very social and far more relaxed than some of the other conferences.This is South Florida, everything is casual.

But I will go with a slightly
heavy heart.My first crush died this
week.Yes, I’m dating myself but who
cares.Like Marsha Brady, Davy Jones was
my first idol.In my house watching the
Monkees was a privilege earned and my sister and I worked hard to get rights to
the one and only television for that special half-hour.I have some vintage Monkees in my iTunes.

Oddly enough, Davy Jones died
about 3 miles from my house.In the nine
years I’ve lived here, I’ve seen him about a half-dozen times.Once at Publix buying beef jerky.He was very generous to the Martin County
community, giving his time and money to various schools and groups. But he never acted like a star.Unlike our other semi-famous neighbor – Burt Reynolds.Burt is a prima donna who doesn’t seem to
realize that his fame faded long ago and now he’s just a tanned guy with a bad
hairpiece.And apparently bad financial
skills since he’s about to lose his house on Jupiter Island.Guess money management isn’t his strong suit.

Somehow I’ve gone from a
conference to neighbor bashing.Not sure
how that happened.Sorry for the free
association.What I really wanted to
cover was pitching your book at a conference.I’ve done my fair share of pitching over the last 20+ years.Here’s what I’ve learned.The most helpful thing you can do is to pitch
a total stranger and have them tell you what in your pitch caught their
attention.Maybe you’ve got too much
characterization and not enough about the conflict.Or maybe the reverse is true.Bottom line, you should be able to sum it up
in a sentence or two.And why a stranger
and not your best friend?Your best
friend is listening to you.A total
stranger is listening to your words.They have no emotional investment, so they tend to be able to focus on
your delivery.Let’s face it, we all
babble when we’re in a stressful situation.The more you practice, the easier it is.

Try to incorporate a pop culture
reference.Like “My manuscript is a
cross between Sleeping with the Enemy
and Double Jeopardy.It gives an immediate sense of the tone and
pacing of the story.I pitched the
Finley series as what would happen if Elle Woods from Legally Blonde was investigating murders?

And those index cards – leave them
at home.You aren’t in the debate
club.You should know your story like
the back of your hand because hopefully you’re pitching a complete manuscript
(if you’re previously unpublished).The
days of buying on partials are long gone.And don’t forget to follow-up.Agents and editors say only about 30-40% of requested materials actually
get sent to them.And they don’t care if
you send it 5 minutes after your appointment or a year later.All you have to do is remind them of the
request.Then be prepared to wait.While you’re waiting, write your next book.